"Jackhammer's Gone Screw-Loose!"
The New Sentinels, Issue 2 The issues open with Flower Girl stood in shock at Jackhammer, the robotic hero seemingly gone haywire! Jackhammer claims 'you're all commies!' and charges towards the group of children traversing the zebra crossing. Zap Boy is unconscious, is hand smoking, whilst Napalm is elsewhere, having lost the animals he was chasing. But the comic narration makes it clear that Jackhammer is an established hero, and explains his origin story. He is shown as a World War 2 soldier, and before that, as a young man, hammering in rail road tracks. It is made clear that he is a dedicated patriot. He is tragically killed during World War 2. A fellow (scrawny) soldier tries to carry him off of the battlefield, but is forced to leave him behind, too exhausted to move him any further. His body is taken by Nazis, and delivered to the lab of Doktor Dominion, destined to become the arch-villain of Team Titan, Blitzkrieg. Dominion removes Jackhammer's brain and attaches it to a new Reichdroid prototype, black metal, with a swastika upon it, as you would expect. However, when Jackhammer's brain is reactivated, his cannot be controlled, his overwhelming PATRIOTISM ceasing the Nazi control (and somehow also shedding the black paint job, showing green underneath, and removing the swastika and replacing it with an American flag.) Jackhammer bursts through the wall to escape. In the distant he sees the three silhouettes of Blonde Bombshell, Silent Shadow and Rex Freeman, the World War 2 super-team known as The Sentinels. The comic then cuts to earlier in the day, where Jackhammer is at a local army base in Sentinel City, getting a briefing from General Brockmeyer. Brockmeyer explains that the Sentinel City Science Symposium is in town, and that they have some impressive new military technology to display, the Animal Attribute Machine. The scientists that created it, and the first successful subject of the process, Soldier Ant, are already at the Symposium, whilst the device itself needs delivering. Since Jackhammer is the Army's only other superpowered operative, he is being sent with the convoy to protect the precious cargo. The comic then cuts to the present, the main truck of the convoy is still present and undamaged, behind Jackhammer. There are also army jeeps and unconscious soldiers scattered about, as well as other vehicles embedded in buildings. Whilst Jackhammer picks up two of the children at the crossing, Flower Girl uses the power of love to revive Zap Boy. Hearing the screaming children, Napalm takes to the air and to the rescue. Jackhammer ends up throwing the children at Napalm, but Flower Girl catches them with her telekinesis, within a heart-shaped energy field and lowers them to the ground. Unable to directly Jackhammer without losing his powers from contact with metal, Zap Boy settles for getting all the children to safety (don't worry kids, he has rubber gloves!) When blasting Jackhammer is ineffective, Napalm tries various ways of restraining the robot, including a flaming lasoo (shown below), though these methods unfortunately prove ineffective against Jackhammer's telescopic arms, spun like a whirlwind to disperse the heat. Napalm decides to investigate the convoy instead. Flower Girl uses her telekinesis to try and lift the robot, but he is barely movable. Zap Boy shoots a bolt of electricity into the clouds, and unleashes a torrent of lightning on the robot, damaging it. Jackhammer then tries to grab hold of Zap Boy, and pushes him into a trash can, whilst muttering about Space Bears!!? The contact with metal depowers Zap Boy. Flower Girl surrounds Jackhammer in a love-energy field. Napalm investigates the truck, finding a conscious and panicking soldier. The device the truck was carrying is missing, and there are claw marks in the metal indicating that it was dragged off. The panicked soldier is rabbiting on about a lion taking the device, reminding Napalm of the monkey and the dog who abducted the Immortal. Zap Boy uses his gymnastic skills to flip out of the trash can with a smile and a pose. Flower Girl tries to overwhelm Jackhammer with the power of love, but his love is his country, and patriotism is the source of his power. The energy causes him to grow from 8 to 10 feet high, as he bursts through Flower Girl's energy bubble. He punches her into the air, calling her a commie. Zap Boy tries to run around Jackhammer to confuse him, whilst Flower Girl uses her telekinesis to billow out her hair and slowly lower herself to the ground. Jackhammer uses his telescopic arms to grab and restrain Zap Boy. Napalm asks the soldier a series of questions and then makes many ruminations. The soldier tells him that Jackhammer was fine until they got into the city, and then he started ranting about commies and 'space bears' and attacking everybody. Napalm then recalls a time in the city five years ago where city hall was attacked by Communist Space Bears. The bears were fought off by the last surviving members of the Sentinels, Silent Shadow and Jackhammer, and the bear are now safely contained in the zoo. The reason for the attack was never discovered, and Silent Shadow disappeared, meaning the end of the WW2 team of heroes, The Sentinels. Jackhammer has continued to work with the army ever since. After recalling this, Napalm discovers that the lion attacked and stole the device whilst Jackhammer was rampaging, indicating some kind of distraction revolving around Jackhammer's delusions of Space Bears. He flies towards the other heroes, whilst Flower Girl is trying to reason with Jackhammer, ineffectively. Jackhammer doesn't see Flower Girl talking to him, he sees a big green bear roaring at him. He then turns, and instead of Napalm, sees a flying, flaming superbear. Napalm yells a warning to the others, telling them that Jackhammer is not acting himself, and that this is all part of some elaborate distraction to conduct thefts. As the electricity leeches out of Zap Boy into Jackhammer, he OVERLOADS. As a kneejerk reaction, Jackhammer slams the trashcan over Zap Boy's head. He then looks around in confusion, as all the unconscious bears he sees are people, vehicles and soldiers, and the superbears are superheroes. Jackhammer immediately apologises, showing his surprisingly gentle personally, as he explains that he though there were space bears everywhere. Napalm explains to the gathering that the monkey and dog that kidnapped Immortal and the lion that stole the army's device are connected to whatever caused Jackhammer's delusions. Flower Girl decides to go into Jackhammer's mind (as he does have a human brain) to find out what was making him see bears. She sees Jackhammer's origin, and Doktor Dominion planting his brain in his body. However, his mind seems not to have been tampered with. The heroes realise that Jackhammer's sensory receptors, his machine senses, must have been what was being affected. Jackhammer contacts radio Brockmeyer and updates him on the situation. The General explains that a miracle mineral on the way to the Symposium, known as Ampligon, has also been stolen, along with the Animal Attribute Machine and the Immortal. Brockmeyer suggests that Jackhammer heads to the Symposium where the army's science team are currently waiting to receive the AAM, and see if one of them can take a look at Hammer's sensors and see what was up with him. The four heroes enter the Symposium. The crowd have entered the building, not entirely intentionally, it seems, as security officers are restraining individuals, army soldiers are trying to keep angry people back from the stage who have come to see the AAM in action. There is also an angry crowd around the stall supposed to be displaying the Ampligon. Soldier Ant is on the main stage, trying to call for calm, and distract them with his own super-abilities. The heroes head backstage, where a scientist agrees to look at Jackhammer's sensors. Zap Boy keeps his distance from the scientists, saying that they're always trying to get a 'look at him'. Napalm is also massively put off by this. As the two of them look about to leave, Flower Girl tries to encourage them to stay. Jackhammer agrees with her sentiments, telling the three that their work is not yet done. He opens up a chest panel, revealing three badges. He tells them they are being deputised as the new Sentinels team, until the problems they face are dealt with. One by one, the heroes agree. The scientist completes his analysis, and tells Jackhammer he isn't going to like it...